A Tale of Two Towers

A Dickens of a Tale - by J and L - that's J there in Sacramento

 It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .

When Charles Dickens penned that immortal opening for his work A Tale of Two Cities - which by the way is still the number two best seller in fiction of all time only overtaken by Don Quixote - he was writing about Paris and London during and after the French Revolution.

London's Tower Bridge

But we're blogging about the two cities of London and Sacramento.

We just like Dickens and when we get the chance we mention his name. Besides, what he wrote 159 years ago could be taken to the be the world as it is in 2017.

Sacramento's Tower Bridge

That's it for judging present society. We're not political. 

What do both these cities have in common besides being capital cities? They both boast a tower bridge. Seriously, they are referred to as Tower Bridge both in England and California.

Coincidence? We think not!

Sacramento's bridge moving skyward supported by the two towers

London's would open at an 86 degree list supported by the two towers

The tower  at the Tower Bridge - Sacramento

London's bridge opened in June of 1894 and Sacramento's not until December of 1935. The similarities are both span a busy river - the Thames and the Sacrament River. They each rise when large ships need to pass beneath by means of engines hoisting sections of the bridge - London's by two equal bascules or leaves which move up at an 86 degree arc and Sacramento 's by using a vertical lift actually moving a larger section of roadway straight up and out of the way of boat traffic. Boat traffic has the right of way over foot or vehicle traffic on both he bridges. Both contain two large towers which act as anchors for the sections being lifted. And they each are and still are marvel of engineering.

Sunset in Sacramento by the Tower Bridge

The differences are many but here are just a few. We hate to admit it but London's bridge is much larger and has more people and vehicle traffic moving across the bridge than Sacramento's annually. London's is more iconic since it has been seen in thousands of films, television shows and photographs and Sacramento's can't even come close to the number. It took an act of Parliament to decide to build London's where it only took an act of a few county government employees in Sacramento to decide to replace the existing bridge at M Street,

London's is not falling down but . . .
then Sacramento would be the number one spot to go!

Just seems so cool to have an Act of Parliament in lieu of a bunch of city planners. There are other differences but the point is made.

Both capitals have great bridges spanning rivers where a bunch of people cross daily to go here and there.

One thing Sacramento doesn't have to worry about though is no one confuses the name of the Tower Bridge with any other bridge. In London, frustration reigns when tourists point to the Tower Bridge and say, "Lookiee there - it's the London Bridge!"

We can only imagine Londoners dropping their cup of tea and smashing scones on their foreheads when they hear that statement.

Our hearts go out to our English cousins. 

And then there' this  - - - 

Not only does Sacramento have a Tower Bridge but an artist who likes to hang out on a major highway during the night. !
We wouldn't recommend dating him - just saying.